Number of inmates at Cork Prison drops amid ongoing legal aid dispute

The number of people in custody in Cork Prison has decreased significantly amid the ongoing dispute with solicitors providing free legal aid.

The average number of people in custody in Cork Prison in 2026, up to the start of June, was 411. However, the figure has now dropped below 400 for the first time in more than four months.

Criminal defence solicitors around Ireland began a co-ordinated withdrawal of services earlier this month, with solicitors already assigned in cases appearing in court to say they are on record for clients, but not in a position to act for them.

No new assignments under free legal aid have been made, and cases are being adjourned until future dates.

The dispute centres on the Department of Justice’s decision to replace the current system of payment with a single flat fee per client, regardless of how many hearings the case requires.

Resigned en masse

Solicitors in Cork on the free legal aid scheme for criminal cases yesterday resigned en masse from the panel of solicitors available to carry out legal aid cases.

The large numbers of adjourned cases have seen some prisoners held in remand longer, and court backlogs have slowed the release of some inmates, but numbers in custody have gone down overall.

Former solicitor and Fine Gael TD Colm Burke told The Echo that court cases not being heard was resulting in a reduction in the number of people being committed to prison.

This meant there would be a backlog and probably a sharp increase in prison figures when the courts service resumed as normal.

He said: “Most people awaiting criminal trials would have free legal aid — it’s going to be a challenge.”

Mr Burke added that part of the reason that prison figures were so consistently high, as well as prison capacity not keeping pace with population increases, was the 20 additional judges appointed in 2024.

He said: “We appointed a lot of additional judges, meaning more cases can be dealt with in a shorter timeframe, but it left the prison system all blocked up.”

In Cork Prison, there were 399 people in custody on Tuesday. The figures dropped below 400 at the end of last week, the first time since the beginning of February.

The prison, which has capacity for 304 people, was still at 131% capacity on Tuesday, but the number in custody is a sharp decrease from highs of 417 at the start of June, and the record of 430 set at the end of March.